Refrigeration apparatus



. March 29, 1960 H. A. EI -IRENFREUND 2,930,335

REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Filed Jan. 22, 1958 WT FT LLlJ/l INVENTOR HERBERT A. EHRENFREUND United States Patent REFRIGERATION APPARATUS Herbert A. Ehrenfreund, Longmeadow, Mass, assignor to' Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh,

Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 22, 1958, Serial No. 710,468 4 Claims. (Cl. 240-4) This invention relates to refrigeration apparatus and more particularly to means for illuminating the interior of a domestic refrigerator cabinet or the like.

Most conventional domestic refrigerators have an electric lamp located within the food storage compartment for illuminating the compartment and its contents to enable the user to more readily locate items stored therein. Most of these refrigerators have the light source located in or on the rear or side walls of the foodstorage compartment and, consequently, light is directed out through the access opening for the cabinet, as well as onto the items stored therein. This results in light being directed into the eyes of the user of the refrigerator when he or she is attempting to locate a particular item in the refrigerator, and the glare of the light is both a hindrance and an annoyance to the user.

The interior of the refrigerator cabinet can be lighted more effectively if the light source is located at or near the access opening and directed back into the cabinet by a reflector, or shield, that prevents light from being thrown into the eyes of the user. Some proposals have been made in the past that the cabinet light be so located, but most of these prior arrangements have not been entirely satisfactory for reasons such as poor decorative appearance, expensive construction, or poor light distribution throughout the interior of the cabinet.

' T his invention provides a lighting arrangement wherein an electric lamp positioned at the access opening of the cabinet (at the front in a front opening cabinet) is employed to illuminate the interior of the cabinet in such a manner that substantially all of the light from the lamp is directed into the interior of the cabinet and little or no light is permitted, to fall directly on the eyes of the user of the refrigerator.

In accordance with the invention, the electric lamp is located in a recess in one of the cabinet walls near the cabinet access opening. A movable reflector and shield of the cabinet. The reflector member is shaped in a man- 7 ner to insure distribution of light throughout the interior of the cabinet and, for this purpose, actually projects into the access opening for the cabinet during periods when the door is open and illumination is required. This reflector member is, however, so constructed as to be movable to a position that is clear of the access opening to permit closing of the refrigerator cabinet door. The relationship between the reflector member and the door is preferably such that the member is actually engaged by the door and moved out of the way as the door is moved to its closed position. 7

The invention further contemplates utilizing movements of the reflector member for controlling energization of the electric lamp.

I Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description thereof in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

. partment 12 therein which is accessible through an opening 13 provided in the front of the cabinet and closable by a hingedly mounted door 14. The construction of the walls of the cabinet body 11 is shown in Fig. 3. In accordance with conventional practice, the walls are formed by spaced inner and outer shells designated 15 and 16,

' respectively, which have heat insulation 17 disposed therebetween. The shells 15 and 16 are connected at their forward edges by a heat, insulating breaker frame 18 which extends around the access opening 13 for the storage compartment 12. The breaker frame 18 is normally formed of extrudable or moldable plastic material that enables the breaker frame to be readily constructed to virtually any desired configuration. It will be noted, for example, that the breaker frame 18 for the refrigerator cabinet shown in the drawings has a rearwardly converging configuration which conforms closely to an inwardly projecting portion 19 of the door 14 (see Fig. 1). When the door 14 is in its closed position, the projecting portion 19 thereof fits closely Within the breaker frame 18 and, although spaced therefrom throughout the extent of the breaker frame, provides a restricted air passage between the interior and exterior of the refrigerator cabinet for the purpose of reducing heat leakage into the cabinet.

In accordance with this invention, the food storage compartment 12 is illuminated by means of an electric lamp 21 (see Figs. 2 and 3) which is located ina recess 22 in a wall of the cabinet body 11 and behind an opening 23 provided therefor in the breaker frame 13. The lamp 21 is shown positioned within the top Wall of the cabinet 11 although it is to be understood that the advantages of this invention can be utilized in connection with a lamp mount- 25 is provided with suitable retaining flanges, or the like,

which engage the periphery of the breaker frame opening 23 and hold the casing 25 in place behind the breaker frame 18.

Light rays issuing from the lamp 21 and its reflector casing 25 are directed into the food storage compartment 5 to its inner surface 27 or, if desired, the member 26 may. i

12 by a reflector, or shield, member 26 which is hingedly supported on the breaker frame 18 in a position to overlie the breaker frame opening 23 with which it is substantially coextensive. The reflector member 26 has an outer face configuration designed to decoratively blend with the face of the breaker frame 13. The inner surface 27 of the reflector member 26 has an arcuate contour and is light reflective. The reflector member 26 can be formed from. molded plastic material and a reflective coating applied be formed from metal or other material having a natural reflective surface, in which case the reflective coating can be eliminated.

The reflector member 26 is supported on the breaker I frame 18 by a simple hinge connection provided by va pair of upwardly extending, L-shaped arms 28 formed integrally with the member 26 and projecting through openings provided therefor in the breaker frame 18 (see.

Figs. 2 and 3). Eacharm 28 has a spring 29 engaging its upper end and pushing against the inner surface of.

3 the breaker front 18 to bias the reflector member 26 away from the breaker frame opening 23 to the full line position thereof shown in Fig. 3. In this open, or projectmg, position, the member 26 uncovers the opening 23 and projects into the access opening 13 in such a manner that light from the lamp 21 is directed back into the food storage compartment 12 to uniformly illuminate, that compartment and to shield the eyes of the userof the refrigerator from the lamp 21. The hinge mountingfor the reflector member 26 permits this member to be moved to the clot and dash line position shown in Fig. 3 wherein the member 26 covers the breaker frame opening 23 and lies substantially flush with the breaker frame 18, clear of the access opening 13.

It will be noted that, whereas the lamp 21 and its supporting structure are mounted on and behind the breaker frame 18, and are therefore easily assembled to or disassembled from the cabinet body 11, their location with respect to the compartment 12 does not lend itself well to direct illumination of the compartment 12 The reflector member 26, however, effectively directs light from the lamp 21 and its reflector casing 25 into the compartment 12 and is capable of doing so principally because it can assume the full line position shown in- Fig. 3, wherein the member 26 projects into the compartment access opening 13 and has its reflective surface 27 disposed to direct light around the forward edge of the inner shell 15 and back into the compartment 12. In accordance with this invention, the reflector member 26 does not interfere with normal closing movements of the door 14 inasmuch as the hinge mounting of the reflector member 26 permits this member to swing out of the access opening 13 when it is contacted by the projecting portion 19 of the door. While direct engagement between the projecting door portion 19 and the reflector member 26 is entirely satisfactory for most refrigerator cabinet applications, it may, incertain instances, be desirable to equip either the reflector member 26 or the door 14 with a bumper (not shown), or other means, for elfecting movement of the reflector member 26 to its closed, or non-projecting, position when the door 14 is closed.

The electric lamp 21 is respectively energized and deenergized by an electric switch 31 when the door 14 is opened and closed. The switch 31 is mounted on reflector casing 25 by a bracket 32 in a position that locates an actuating plunger 33 for the switch 31 within the path of movement of the upper end of one of the arms 23 of the reflector member 26. As shown in Fig. 3, the arrangement is such that the switch plunger 33 is engaged by a reflector member arm 28 to close the switch 31 and energize lamp 21 whenever the door 14 is opened and the reflector member 26 is moved to its open position by the springs 29. Movement of the reflector member 26 to its closed position releases plunger 33 to permit the switch 31 to open under the action of a spring contained therein.

The switch 31 can be assembled to the lamp reflector casing 25 prior to the casing 25 being assembled to the cabinet body 11, thus simplifying installation of the components associated with the lamp 21. Since the switch 31 is actuated by movements of the reflector member 26, no additional means need be provided for actuating the switch 31 from the door 14. It is to be understood that the lamp 21 and switch 31 are connected to a suitable electric supply line in a conventional manner, so that the switch controls the lamp. 7

From the foregoing it will be apparent that this invention provides an improved lighting arrangement for refrigerator cabinets, which arrangement is capable of effectively illuminating the interior of the cabinet in such a manner as to enhance the usefulness of the refrigerator. This result is achieved by employing the novel reflector member 26 that directs light into the interior of the cabinet and shields light from the eyes of the user of the refrigerator. The electric lamp itself is disposed in a location that has a number of advantages from the standpoint of convenient and low-cost assembly but which was heretofore considered undesirable from the standpoint of adequate cabinet illumination.

While the invention has been shown in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a refrigerator cabinet including a body having a door opening, and a door for closing said opening, said door having a portion thereof projecting into a region of said opening when the door is in its closed position, of an electric lamp embedded in a recess in said cabinet body near said door opening, the recessed position of said lamp being such that light therefrom is directed outwardly rather than inwardly of said cabinet body, a reflector member carried by said cabinet body adjacent said recess, and means for supporting said reflector member for movement between one position in which the reflector member is disposed in said region of said opening and forwardly of said recess for reflecting light into the interior of said cabinet body and another position in which the reflector member is clear of said region of said opening, said reflector member being engaged by said portion of said door and moved from said one position to said other position when said door is moved to its closed position.

2. The combination with a refrigerator cabinet including a body having a door opening, and a door for closing said opening, said door having a portion thereof project ing into a region of said opening when the door is in its closed position, of an electric lamp embedded in a recess in said cabinet body near said door opening, the recessed position of said lamp being such that light therefrom is directed outwardly rather than inwardly of said cabinet body, a reflector member carried by said cabinet body adjacent said recess, means for supporting said reflector member for movement between one position in which the reflector member is disposed in said region of said opening and forwardly of said recess for reflecting light into the interior ofsaid cabinet body and another position in which the reflector member is clear of said region of said opening, said reflector member being engaged by said portion of said door and moved from said one position to said other position when said door is moved to its closed position, switch means for controlling energization of said lamp, and means for actuating said switch in response to movement of said reflector member.

3. In a refrigerator, the combination of spaced inner and outer shells forming walls of an insulated cabinet having a door opening, a door for closing said opening, a heat insulating frame connecting the edges of said shells around said opening, said door when in its closed position having portions thereof disposed closely adjacent said frame, said frame having an opening therein, an electric lamp disposed in a wall of said cabinet directly behind the opening in said frame, light emitting from said opening beingdirected generally outwardly rather than inwardly of said cabinet, a reflector member adapted to occupy a first position projecting away from said frame at said opening for reflecting light rearwardly into said cabinet, said member in its first position projecting into a region of said door opening which is occupied by said portion of said door when the door is closed, and means for movably supporting said member and permitting said member to move to a second position clear of said region of said door opening when said door is moved to its closed position.

4. In a refrigerator, the combination of spaced inner and outer shells forming walls of an insulated cabinet having, a door opening, a door for closing said opening, a heat insulating frame connecting the edges of said shells around said opening, said door when in its closed position having portions thereof disposed closely adjacent said frame, said frame having an opening therein, an electric lamp disposed in a wall of said cabinet directly behind the opening in said frame, light emitting from said opening being directed generally outwardly rather than inwardly of said cabinet, a reflector member adapted to occupy a first position projecting away from said frame at said opening for reflecting light rearwardly into said cabinet, said member in its first position projecting into a region of said door opening which is occupied by said portion of said door when the door is closed, 10

whereby said member is engaged by said door when the door is moved to its closed position, means for movably supporting said member and permitting said member to move to a second position clear of said region of said door opening when said door is moved to its closed posi- 15 tion, switch means controlling energization of said lamp, and means for actuating said switch in response to movement of 'said member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,739,337 Canon et a1. Dec. 10, 1929 2,122,293 Pleasant et a1 June 28, 1938 2,153,851 Swedman Apr. 11, 1939 2,644,882 Voda July 7, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 934,833 Germany Nov. 3, 1955 

